Miuccia Prada did something she'd never done before with her show tonight. On every seat there was a printed manifesto for the collection—or, rather, collections. (She was showing both Fall menswear and Pre-Fall womenswear.) "Gender is a context and context is often gendered," read the notes. There could scarcely be a timelier idea to address, what with vigorous new debates about feminism, the heightened profile of LGBT activism, and the misogyny of religious fundamentalists around the world. And, in outlining her rationale for the show, it was clear that Mrs. P wasn't prepared to leave it as open to freestyling interpretation as she has in the past.

And yet she couldn't help but excite conjecture. The invitation—a rectangle of black nylon—was a reminder of Miuccia's foundation in the family business, and she went back to the well with an opening passage of pieces cut from the material. She claimed that blending collections for men and women was something she'd been waiting to do for a while, because working on menswear always left her wondering how she could apply the same ideas to women. The shared aesthetic today was simple. "Uniform, severe, elegant: This is the fashion I like at this moment."